es, were on tiptoe with
expectation, and frequently assured their converts that "the Lord is at
hand, the judge stood before the door, &c." And to conclude, Can you
not now, sir, conceive, and guess the cause of the gradual
disappearance of the Jewish Christians after "that generation had
passed away?" The fact was, that the Jewish Christians never dreamed of
that figment a spiritual Messiah. They expected that Jesus would come
again in "that generation" as he had told them he would; he did not
come; in consequence the Jewish Church, after waiting, and waiting a
great while, dwindled into annihilation.

You conclude your most eloquent sermons by an appeal to the feelings in
behalf of opinions which ought I think to be defended by reason and
proof rather than by sentiment. You complain of ridicule in an
examination of this kind. I hope you will excuse my expressing some
doubts whether eloquent sentiment, and appeals to the feelings are less
exceptionable in a discussion of the causes why we ought to give
Christianity a respectful and dispassionate examination. If I were so
happy as to be so eloquent as you, and in a manner which such power of
persuasion as you possess would give me ability to do, had described
the burnings, the tortures, the murders, and the plundering of the
Jew's during the last thousand years, in order to cause my readers to
wish to find reason to hate Christianity; would you not have said it
was unfair? It cannot be necessary to inform so finished a scholar as
Mr. Channing, that in a discussion about the truth of a system the
consideration of the consequences of the system's being proved to be
false, is irrelevant and contrary to rule. You will say that you were
not discussing the truth of a system, but the reasons why we should
give it a respectful examination. This is true-The question you advised
your auditors to examine was, whether the Christian religion was true
or otherwise. Be it so. I appeal then to your candour, whether it was
the way to send them to the important enquiry unprejudiced and
unbiased, to impress them by authority, and by arguments which are good
only when used as subsidiary to proof or demonstration and by
terrifying them with what you imagine would be the consequences of
finding that Christianity is unfounded? Ah sir, does the advocate of a
cause "founded on adamant" wish to dazzle the judges and fascinate the
jury before he ventures to bring the merits of his cause to trial